Five Canadian cities rank among top 100 in 2026 World’s Best Cities report
Toronto ranked within the top 20 in a new list of 100 best cities to live, visit and invest in, in 2026. Four other Canadian cities also made it to the list.
The findings come from the 2026 World’s Best Cities Report, backed by data-driven analysis from Resonance Consultancy, a British-Columbia-based marketing consultancy that specializes in branding and marketing for cities, communities and destinations.
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The Canadian cities and their rankings
Canadian city2026 ranking
Toronto17
Vancouver41
Montreal46
Ottawa73
Calgary85
Methodology
Resonance ranks principal cities (which have a population over 1 million) using a “Place Power” score that blends hard stats with resident/visitor sentiment, organized under three pillars—Livability, Lovability and Prosperity.
Livability looks at the perceived quality of natural and built environments. Lovability looks at vibrancy in terms of culture, dining and nightlife. Prosperity evaluate the foundations that enable economic growth and the attraction of talent.
The Top 100 cities were determined using a combination of core statistics and user-generated data from online sources such as Google, Instagram, and TikTok to measure quality of place.
Toronto
The city actually dropped two spots from last year’s list where it ranked in the 15th position.
Nonetheless, this year’s list highlighted its growth, highly-educated population and multiculturalism as some reasons for its position in the 17th place – ahead of cities such as Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Melbourne, Bangkok and Osaka.
Vancouver
Ranked 41st this year, Vancouver is profiled as a “gorgeous and smart” city whose talent magnetism is powered by top tier air quality, incredible universities, and new developments.
Montreal
At 46th, Montreal is credited with accelerating global buzz—thanks to its urban initiatives, pedestrian-only main streets, strong universities, and growing innovation hubs.
Ottawa
Placing 73rd, Ottawa has been credited as “quietly but decisively” reinventing itself and “asserting its own cosmopolitan edge.”
The growing downtown region, fresh investments in AI and tech, and educational establishments add to the lure.
Calgary
Calgary ranks 85th on the 2026 list, highlighted for youthful demographics fueling tech and creative growth.
Up-coming urban developments and a “strong price-to-income” affordability are also big factors in helping Calgary achieve this ranking.
Canada recently unveiled its immigration targets for 2026
Immigration is called out for two of the five Canadian cities in the 2026 World’s Best Cities report: Toronto is described as “Canada’s sensible gateway for immigration,” with momentum that “keeps the city among the planet’s most coveted for immigrants,” with a majority of residents born outside Canada; Ottawa is noted for a “quarter of residents born abroad,” with growth “reflecting both rising immigration and a preference for central, transit-connected neighbourhoods.”
Last week, Canada released its Immigration Levels Plan 2026-2028, unveiling plans to welcome 380,000 permanent residents in 2026. The government plans to allocate 64% of the upcoming year’s PR admissions to economic immigration.
The latest Immigration Levels Plan also increased provincial immigration by 66% as compared to the previous year’s target.
Thinking about moving to Canada?
Express Entry is the main pathway to permanent residence for skilled newcomers. It manages three federal programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
Prospective candidates must first assess whether they meet the minimum criteria for one of the programs above.
Eligible candidates can then enter the pool by creating an online profile with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
The CRS assigns points for core human capital factors — work experience, language proficiency, education, and more.
IRCC holds draws from the pool and issues Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to top-ranked candidates. The higher your CRS, the better your chances of receiving an ITA for permanent residence.
